


Latte Therapy

by GlowAmber



Category: Tangled (2010), Tangled: The Series (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Silly drabble that got out of hand, whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-09
Updated: 2018-05-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 09:01:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14589579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GlowAmber/pseuds/GlowAmber
Summary: Rapunzel owns a cute little cafe and looks forward to all of her customers coming in, especially one in particular. Cassandra and Lance have a bet.[Modern AU, Coffee Shop.]





	Latte Therapy

**Author's Note:**

> This was a drabble that turned into 3k words of fluff and nonsense. I'm sorry because its unedited since Joy is in Hawaii but that just means you all get to see what a mess she works with!

Latte Therapy had been her dream business ever since she was little and allowed to run about at all hours. Sure, she had remodelled it entirely since taking it over from her parents (Including a new name!) but it still had the old familiar smell that she had fallen in love with as a girl. Some of the knickknacks from her mother still remained, tucked away on shelves and in shadow boxes. During slow moments, Rapunzel would rest her elbows on the countertop and look around wistfully. Every inch of this place had a memory for her, with the good far outweighing the bad.

She was still as in love with this place as she was as a toddler, and she didn’t think that could ever change.

Her cafe was popular amongst college and university students, conveniently nestled near to three different ones, and yet she still got a lot of locals on their way to work or on their breaks. She knew their faces by heart and their orders were always ready when they came in, courtesy of her good memory and their easy routines.

Speaking of routines, Rapunzel pushed herself up and bustled past the brunette who was plating desserts on the other end of the counter. “Is it already 8am?” She heard the woman groan and gave her a sunny smile in reply. There was no rush at this time in the morning since the students weren’t up yet and the workers were at work already, but her favorite customers came in every day at this time.

She worked quietly and steadily, steaming milk and brewing shots before she poured the concoctions together in their favorite mugs. Delicately, she wiped away the minor overflow from the sides just as the cafe bell rang and a familiar voice called out to her.

“Blondie!”

Her chest filled with warmth as she looked up over the counter at the man, feeling a familiar flutter in her belly. Flynn Rider was incredibly handsome and one of the nicest customers she could ask for. He was always good to her and chatted for a bit before he sat down with his friend, Lance Strongbow, to look through the classifieds for a job. 

Today was no different, he leaned on the counter on his forearms and fixed her with that slow grin that never failed to make her feel warm cheeked. “There’s my spot of sunshine,” his hand went for the cappuccino she’d made him, the foam painted with the Latte Therapy’s bright sun design, but his eyes didn’t leave hers. Not for the first time, Rapunzel wondered if he meant her and not his coffee. 

“And a little something else.” She pushed a small plate of zucchini bread over to his side of the counter, along with a small stack of papers, “I baked that last night, it's sort of experimental. Let me know what you think, okay?” 

There was something in his eyes as he laughed and reached for the mugs, “You shouldn’t waste that on me.”

“Speak for yourself, we will gladly try that!” The taller and broader man of the pair reached over Flynn’s shoulders and waggled his brows as he took the plate, “It looks great, princess, real nice work.” He didn’t even flinch when Flynn elbowed him in the side but it made her giggle, soft. Lance was a sucker for food, she knew for a fact. Even if Flynn would turn down her baking or home cooking, she could always count on his friend to make sure they actually tried it.

Part of it was testing recipes and the other part of it was how hungry they looked some days. She knew they’d been hunting for jobs, nonstop, for the last month or so without fail and without luck. Rapunzel didn’t understand why they hadn’t found anything yet, this was a college town that was always hiring-- but she did recognize the flinch of hunger pains even if both of them were pretty good at masking them. 

“If you’re still here at noon,” She leaned over the counter, pressing the stack of forgotten papers at Lance, “I tried making some chili last night. I don’t think it came out quite right, but you two can let me know for sure.” 

Flynn was ready to turn her down but the papers instead caught his eye, “Uh huh, sure, blondie. What’s all that, now? Making us throw out your trash?”

“Those are job applications.” Rapunzel said, matter of factly, wagging a pen at them, “Local businesses I know. They don’t put out ads in the paper, so I picked up a few for you guys. Now go drink your coffee before it gets cold!” Lance’s smile was broad but Flynn just looked taken off guard as she shooed them away, the man being steered to their usual table.

She watched them for a few moments as they sipped at their drinks and divvied up the stack between one another, smiling fondly. They were whisper-arguing though she could tell it was in jest given the fact that Lance was still smiling. “Really? Chili?” Cassandra’s voice behind her made her jump out of her revery, twisting fast to stare at her with her hand pressed over her heart.

“Cassandra! Don’t do that!” Rapunzel’s cheeks were bright and hot, and her friend and fellow barista just lifted a brow, her arms crossed over her chest.

“‘I tried making some chili last night, I don’t think it came out right.’” Cassandra imitated her voice, fluttering her lashes before she groaned, “Can you be any more obvious? As if you haven’t made that dish three times for him already.” She waved a hand as she twisted on her heel, going back to the glass case housing their desserts to put away her work.

“By the way, he forgot to pay.”

She said that loud enough that it carried across the nearly empty cafe and Flynn jolted to his feet, nearly knocking his chair over. “Shit, shit, shit, sorry blondie!” He fumbled with getting his wallet out, muttering little swears as he dug out a small stack of bills. “You know I’d never stiff you, I’m so sorry.” Rapunzel waved her hands in front of herself with a nervous laugh, trying not to let on that she had realized he hadn’t paid because she she hadn’t planned on charging him today.

“No, no, it’s okay! I didn’t ring you up today, that’s on me!”  
“It’s $12, right?”  
“$8, and honestly, it’s okay.”

He pushed the money over with an apologetic smile, then tucked a few dollars into the tip jar, “It’s not. It really isn’t, Rapunzel, that’s like stealing.” There was a weird sad look to his eyes and he leaned forward with a sigh, “And good people like you don’t deserve to be stolen from.”

There was something about that she was missing, something important, but she didn’t understand what. “Is something wrong?” There was worry in her words that was hard for her to control, but he waved her off as his face lit back up like that kicked puppy look had never been there.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, blondie! It’s nothing.” 

She chewed on her lip for a moment before she hit the button on her register, a small strip of receipt paper popping up that she tore off. Rapunzel wrote across it with wide swirled strokes of a gold pen before offering it up to him, “...This is my number. If you need anything…?” 

It was just a friendly gesture, she tried to tell herself, and not at all because he was incredibly attractive and sweet to her. Her cheeks were not red and her hands were not shaking, because this was just an offer to a friend. An offer of support. It wasn’t at all that she liked the way his lips curled with a smile or how those brown eyes went almost honey gold when he looked at her.

Like how he was looking at her now.

“... Thank you, Rapunzel.” He bit his lip for a moment before he took the slip from her, gentle like, and tucked it away in his wallet. “I’ll… I’ll keep that in mind.” Something seemed to be on the tip of his tongue and he struggled for a few moments, hemming and hawing before he just grinned a little too widely, “Apps! I should get back to the apps! Need a job!”

Flynn muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like ‘Need money to ask a girl out’ and pointed finger guns at her as he backed away. Her eyes followed him until he turned around, and then they both stopped dead to stare at the table where he had been sitting. 

Lance had a slice of Cassandra’s thick raspberry cheesecake with a forkful just up by his mouth, the supplier sitting in the chair beside him with a tall glass of iced tea. Both were intently watching the pair and neither looked at all ashamed at having been caught staring.  
“Told you,” Cassandra shot to Lance who just shoved the fork in his mouth, ignoring how she seemed to gloat. 

“... Were... were you placing a bet on me?” Flynn sounded a little stunned and maybe a little angry, but her best friend just lifted a brow and took a long sip of her tea before replying.

“No, I was betting on Raps. And I won.”

“I was betting on you,” Lance still did not look ashamed, just pretty interested in the cheesecake, “Where did you get this? You can’t lie and say you made it, I know you didn’t, Cassie. You don’t have the delicate touch.” 

The brunette only rolled her eyes and leaned towards him to argue that point when Rapunzel huffed out, “What exactly were you two betting on?”

“Who would ask the other out first. Now I don’t think this really counts as she just gave him her number, she didn’t really ask him out.” The first part was directed at them, but the second half, Lance was clearly speaking and looking at Cassandra, who looked smug.

“The bet said first move so giving her number counts, and he didn’t ask for it.” She held her glass up like she was toasting him with it, “So I win.”

“When did you two get so buddy buddy?” Flynn couldn’t help but demand, sagging back against the counter in surprise. Was he flushed? Probably embarrassed, Rapunzel thought, they’d put him on the spot and maybe he didn’t really like her like that? She did like him, like that, did want to go on a date with him, but felt her ears go hot at the scene playing out with them apparently as the stars.

“Somewhere between the second week of watching you two making eyes at each other.” Lance wolfed down another bite, “It was getting awkward to be around you both.” 

“Positively disgusting,” Cassandra agreed.

“‘There’s my spot of sunshine!’” Lance mimicked, the brunette beside him putting a hand to her cheek with a giggle that Rapunzel thought sounded nothing like hers.

“‘Oh, Flynn! I made you breakfast!’”  
“‘Aw, blondie, you shouldn’t have!’”  
“‘Giggle, anything for you!”

The pair stopped flat, giving the other two very dry looks. “It was nauseating,” Cassandra drawled, at last, “So we placed a bet on who would finally get the picture and make the first move. Thanks for proving me right, Raps.”

She spun in her seat, then, and pushed the stack of papers in front of her to nudge it at Lance, effectively ignoring them. “So these are the places I was telling you about, you can probably get part time and they pay decently.” 

As they sank back into conversation with their backs to them, Flynn brought his hands up to cover his face with a loud exaggerated groan. “I’m so sorry about her,” Rapunzel rushed, at last, feeling so hot that she thought was burning up, “She’s not always that rude, I swear. And I’m sorry, I don’t want her to give you the wrong impr--”

“I don’t have a job, yet, and money’s tight.” He cut her off, his voice low and his eyes fixed on the ceiling through his fingers. She went quiet as he continued, “I … can’t afford to take you out somewhere fancy, like a nice girl like you deserves...”

Rapunzel bit her lip, hopping a tiny bit as she leaned forward to hear him better.

“... But there’s a nice park, a couple blocks over, and I know there’s a festival happening this weekend. It’s better around sundown, when the sky fills up with so many lanterns it's like seeing the stars in the middle of the city.” Flynn managed to glance over at her with a tiny hopeful smile, “Would you… would you be interested in coming with me?”

It was hard not to bounce in place, her heart skipping several beats and her fingers digging into her palms. “A date?” She had to clarify and when he nodded, she nodded back wildly, happily. “Flynn, yes, absolutely! I love that festival, we could even meet early and get a good spot to have a picnic, first.” 

She didn’t need to tell him her parents organized that festival each year, nor that the festival happened on her birthday of all things. Rapunzel was just brimming over with joy at the fact that he actually wanted to take her out, to spend time with her outside her cafe.

He had been apparently holding his breath, because it came out in a relieved whoosh before he grinned back at her. “Great! Great… And, uh.” Flynn went quieter, leaning in towards her to mumble, “It’s Eugene, by the way.”

“I’m sorry?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, saying softer, “Eugene Fitzherbert. It’s.. it’s my name.”

Quiet understanding filled her and Rapunzel leaned in with a warm smile, “Eugene Fitzherbert… I think that’s a much better name than Flynn Rider.”

 

\------------------------------------------------------------ 

 

Across the room, Lance finally put pen to paper on the application, their eavesdropping no longer necessary. Not that they could hear them, now, for how low the two were talking. As much as he teased Flynn for his mooning over the barista, there was something to watching him be so captivated and lost over a girl. He’d never seen him this off his game, before. Rapunzel had an honest smile and an ability to see the absolute best in anyone, including down on their luck former thieves.

“She may have made the first move, but he asked her out first.” He challenged in a whisper and Cassandra kicked back in her chair. She was still subtly watching them from the corner of her eye, pretending to be sipping at her tea, but he was observant enough from years on the street to recognize where her attention was.

“I still won.” She tapped the application, again, with a short nail. ‘Culinary Institute’ was written elegantly across the top, just under her finger, and he stared at it for a moment longer than he should, “And so you have to apply.” 

He hesitated in printing his name and she kicked his ankle under the table, “Get on with it, Arnwaldo, a deal’s a deal.”

There was no more room for pausing and delaying, not with Cassandra watching him like a hawk, and he had to print his full legal name. He really hadn’t expected this to be what she wanted out of the bet, but Cassandra was still a mystery to him. When she had explained the terms of the deal, he’d thought it was an attempt to embarrass him. Still thought so. The woman had a cruel sense of humor, sometimes. 

He was a good cook, sure, but he didn’t have the money for school nor the skill to impress them into letting him in. 

Flynn and Rapunzel were still quietly talking and laughing, probably flirting, when he finished up and she swiped it out from under his hands. “I’ll turn this in, thanks.” As she stood up, he grabbed for her wrist, squeezing and staring at the surface of the table.

“C’mon, Cassie, do we really have to do this?”

There was a hitch in her breath before she shook his grip off of her and leaned in. “Listen. I know who you guys are, okay? Known it since you skipped into the cafe with those shit eating grins…” He felt himself go ashen and cold all at once, but she continued, low, “But you two have been trying to go straight and… I know when someone’s scamming and when someone’s honestly trying.” 

She spread out the applications she’d brought to him earlier, lining them up for him to see, and tapped her finger to each one in time. “I’ve worked with these bakeries before, I know them. They hire people with criminal backgrounds and have programs to help with their employees who are enrolled in culinary school.” Cassandra stood up straight after that and he grabbed for her wrist again, a knot of worry still in his stomach. Something about this still didn’t make sense, people didn’t usually put themselves out for former criminals. Whether or not they were honestly trying to move past that didn’t matter, they’d been in trouble with the law since they were children and people like them didn’t get second chances.

So why?

“Why’re you taking a chance on us if you know?” He had to know, staring up at her with open curiosity and maybe a little bit of hope. Cassandra didn’t strike him as the type to see good in people, not like Rapunzel, she had a nasty streak a mile wide. 

He’d been wrong before, though.

Her answer surely gave him a cold sweat, but it was the mad and wild grin on her face and the wicked glint to her eyes that was almost nightmare inducing. How was a woman that small so goddamn terrifying? She was almost perfectly the definition of sublime and he had no idea how to react to her.

“Because if you two fuck up, my dad’s the Chief of Police and I have him on speed dial.” Cassandra patted his shoulder a little roughly, adding, “Finish your latte, Arnie, and finish the fucking applications.”


End file.
